Sheet-metal can



No. 6I8,5I8. Patented lan. 3|, |899. E. NORTON. SHEET METAL CAN.

(Application filed Det. 7, 1897.)

(No Model.)

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THE NDRRIS PERS 6U.. PHOTO'UTHO., VSHINGTON. D. C.

IINTTEE y. STATES PATENT EEicE.

EDVTIN NORTON, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE NORTON BROS., OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

S H EET- M ETAL CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,518, dated January31, 1899.

Application filed October 7, 1897. Serial No. 654,335. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN NORTON, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing in Maywood, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Sheet-Metal Cans, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in sheet-metal cans or vessels, andmore particularly to improvements upon the sheet-metal can or vesselshown and described in the pending application of myself and Bernard II.Larkin, Serial No. 649,696, filed August 27, 1897, and in which thecover is secured to the can-body both by a vacuum oratmospheric-pressure seal and by a mechanical seal, consistin gincrimping an inner upright flange on the can-cover outwardly under andagainst an inwardly-proj ectin g roll or shoulder at the upper end ofthe can-body, and in which the can-body has an externally-projectingshoulder to serve as a fulcrum for prying off the cover of the can.

The object of my present improvement is to remove certain defects orobjections in the can shown and described in said application andtoperfect the same and adapt it for use for preserving sh, meats,fruits, vegetables, or other articles requiring perfecthermetically-sealed vessels for their preservation.

One objection or difliculty experienced with the can shown and describedin said application, Serial No. 649,696, is that sometimes the pressureexerted upon the packing-ring interposed between the cover and thecanbody would shear or press off a thin annulus or portion of thepacking and force it into the can, Where it would remain as a deposit ontop of the goods in the can, thus injuring the same either in quality,appearance, or salability. By my present invention I overcome thisdifficulty by a peculiar construction of the annular channel or.receptacle in the cover for the packing in connection with the rollorshoulder on the can-body, with which it cooperates.

In the can shown and described in said application, Serial No. 649,696,the externallyprojecting shoulder or fulcrum on the canbody for pryingoff the cover is formed by making an integral fold in the stock of thecan-body itself. This occasions two objections or difficulties,especially in cans designed for holding hermetically-sealed foodproducts, viz: First, the sharp fold formed in the stock of the can-bodyitself is liable to cause slight cracks or breaks in the stock, whichmay sooner or later develop into pinholes or fine leaks, so that thecans cannot be as safely relied upon to be perfect or absolutelyhermetically tight with that certainty and uniformity in every in stancewhich is necessary or desirable in cans used for putting uphermetically-sealed food products, because in such cans a very few-sayfive or six-leaky or imperfect ones out of one thousand would renderthat construction of can unfit for such use and impracticable, as isWell known to those skilled in the art, and, second, the sharp fold inthe body of the can forming the fulcrum leaves a crevice on the insideof the can-body right at the point where the stock is bent or folded,and the tin coating of the tin-plate consequently stretched, tending togive an opportunity for the acids of the food or other products in thecan to attack the iron or steel plate from which the tin-plate is formedby coating it with tin, which action is liable to injure the quality,flavor, appearance, or salability of the goods. These two objections ordifficulties in the can of said application I overcome or remove in mypresent invention by providing the c an-body at its upper end with aseamless ring, having at its upper edge an internal roll or fold whichfits or hooks over the upper end of the can-body and constitutes theinWardly-projectin g roll or shoulder for the can, which seamless ringts outside the can-body and is itself yprovided with theexternally-projecting fold to serve as the fulcrum for prying off thecover. By this means the stock of the can-,body itself is left entirelysmooth and unfolded, so that the can has a smooth interior surface andso that the stock of the can-body is entirely free from sharp bends orfolds which might be liable to cause leaks. The seamless ring alsoavoids any unevenness'caused Aby the side seam of the can-body in thecan of said application, and thus gives a smoother, better, and moreperfect seat for the packing between the cover andfcan, and also for themetal-to-metal con- IOO tact between the inner ilange of the cover andthe shoulder or roll at the mouth of the can when said inner flange isforced or crimped out under and against the same.

The nature, construction, and operation of my improvement will be morefully understood by those skilled in the art by reference to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specilication.

In said drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a can embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section showing the coverseparate from the can and ready to be applied thereto. Fig. 3 is asimilar section showing the cover sealed and secured to the can-body bythe vacuum or atmospheric seal and before the cover is mechanicallysealed or secured in place. Fig. 4 is a similar section showing thecover sealed and secured on the can both by the Vacuum oratmosphericpressure seal and by the mechanical seal. Fig. 5 is anenlarged detail sectional View of the cover to more clearly show theparticular construction of the annular channel or seat for the packing,and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the finished andsealed can to better show its construction and operation.

In the drawings, A represents the can-body; B, the cover; C, the rubber,cement, or other packing inserted between the cover and the can-body; D,the bottom of the can, and F the seamless ring.

The can-body A may be and preferably is of a plain, smooth, cylindricalform, as illustrated in the drawings, having the customary side-seam a.

The cover B has an outer upright flange b, which fits outside thecan-body, and an inner secondary flange b', which is also substantiallyupright or at right angles to the plane of the cover. Between theflanges Z9 Z9 is the annular channel or seat b2 for the packing C, thehorizontal flange b3 forming the upper wall or bottom, so to speak, ofthe annular channel or groove b2. The inner corner b4 of the channel b2is made curved or rounding,

while the outer corner b5 thereof is made substantially square andpreferably about as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. The packing C maypreferably be originally placed chiefly in this outer corner, asindicated in Fig. 5. Vhen the packing C is compressed between the coverand the roll or shoulder at the upper end of the can-body, this enlargedouter corner b5 gives room for the compressed packing, and thus preventsany danger of the thin edge or ring of the packing being forced downinto the can. The inner flange b' of the cover B has anoutwardly-projecting bend or crimp L in the finished or sealed can,which projects under the inwardly-projecting roll or shoulder at theupper end or mouth of the can-body, and thus mechanically seals andsecures the cover on the can, as will be hereinafter more fullyexplained. The outer ilange b of the cover is provided with anexternally-projecting bend, fold, or shoulder b?, which cooperates withthe external shoulder or fulcrum on the can-body in opening the can orprying off the cover. The external flange b of the cover preferablyprojects below this external shoulder 127, so as to give greater depthto this external flange of the cover, and thus enable the cover to bemore straight-ly, squarely, and properlyT guided home on the can-body inthe operation of in stantaneously forcing the cover home by thesuddenly-restored atmospheric pressure in making the vacuum oratmospheric-pressure seal of the can. In this operation of forming thevacuum or atmospheric-pressure seal unless the cover is properly guidedand moved to place squarely and truly the vacuum-seal will not beperfectly and properly formed.

The bottom or lower head D of the can is or may be of substantially thesame construction as that shown and described in said application. Ithas an external iiange d and an annular bead d.

The seamless ring F is provided with an inwardly-projecting fold or rollf, which lits over the upper end of the can-body A, and thus forms orconstitutes the inwardly-projecting roll or shoulder at the mouth vorupper end of the can-body. As the ring F is seamless, the shoulder orroll fis likewise of course seamless, and thus affords a smooth andperfeet bearing not only for the packing C, but also for themetal-to-metal contact between the outward crimp or bend h6 in the innerflange b of the cover and the under or lower part of said roll orshoulder f. The seamless ring F is further provided near its lower edgewith an exteriorly-projecting fold or shoulder f', which serves as thefulcrum for prying off the cover by inserting any suitable instrumentbetween said fold, shoulder, or fulcrum f and the external shoulder b?on the outer flange b of the cover B, as will be readily understood fromthe drawings. The seamless ring F is soldered to the can-body and servesto materially reinforce and strengthen the same, and thus better adaptthe can to withstand both the external or atmospheric pressure due tothe vacuum or atmospheric-pressure seal of the can and also any internalpressure that may be due to the cooking or processing of the contents ofthe can while it is in a hermetically-sealed condition.

In operation or method of use after the can is filled the cover B isloosely placed thereon, the air is then exhausted from the can byplacing it within the receiver of an air-pu 1n p, the cover is thenhermetically sealed and secured to the can-body by suddenly restoringthe atmospheric pressure, thus instantaneously forcing the cover home onthe can-body and compressing the packing C between the cover and theinwardlyprojecting roll or shoulder f at the upper end or mouth of thecan-body. The cover Bis then mechanically sealed and secured to thecan-body by forma ing the outwardly-projecting bend or crimp ICO IIO

216 in the inner flange b of the cover B, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and6, thus mechanically securing the cover on the can and mechanicallyholding the packing C in a compressed forrn. The cover is thus sealedand secured to the can by a double seal, the vacuuin oratmospheric-pressure seal and a mechanical seal. The can is opened byplacing a suitable instrument between the external fulcruln f on thecan-body, or, rather, on the seamless ring which is secured to thecanbody and forming a part thereof, and the external shoulder 117 on theouter flange b of the cover.

I claimv l. In a sheet-metal can or vessel, the coinbination with acan-body of a seamless ring fitting outside the can-body and having aninternal roll or shoulder at its upper edge litting over the upperend ofthe can-body, and an externally-projecting fold or shoulder at its loweredge to serve as a fulcrum in prying off the cover, and a cover havingan outer .fiange provided with an external shoulder to cooperate withsaid external shoulder or fulcrum on said seamless ring, said coverhaving also a secondary inner flange bent or crimped outwardly under andagainst said' internal roll or shoulder at the upper edge of saidseamless ring, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a can-body, of a seamless ring secured to thecan-body and provided at its upper edge with an inwardlyprojecting rollor shoulder, and a cover having an outer flange and a secondary innerflange bent or crimped outwardly under and against said internal roll orshoulder on said seamless ring, said seamless ring being also providedwith an outwardly-projecting fold or shoulder near its lower edge, andthe outer iiange of said cover havingalso an outwardlyprojectingshoulder and a straight or cylindrical portion below said shoulder,Substantially as specied.

3. In a sheet-metal can or vessel, the cornbination with a can-body of aseamless ring fitting outside the can-body and having an internal rollor shoulder at its upper edge fitting over the upper end of thecan-body, and an externally-projecting fold or shoulder at its loweredge to serve as a fulcrum in prying off the cover, and a cover havingan outer flange provided with an external shoulder to coperate with saidexternal shoulder or fulcrum on said seamless ring, s aid cover havingalso a secondary inner iiange bent or crimped outwardly under andagainst said internal roll or shoulder at the upper edge of saidseamless ring, said cover having an annular channel or seat for apacking between its said outer and inner flanges provided with a curvedo'r rounded inner corner and a square or enlarged outer corner, andapacking in said receptacle or seat, substantially as specified.

EDWIN NoRToN.

Yitnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, EDMUND ADoocK.

